By: Patricia Guadalupe
WASHINGTON — Lázaro Bosch is a recent college graduate doing an internship with NASA — an opportunity that wouldn’t have been possible if it didn’t include a paycheck.
“Not only did a paid internship allow me to relocate to D.C., but also not turn down the internship — if I wouldn’t be getting paid, there is no way I would have been able to take it, as I wouldn’t have been able to support myself and my family,” said Bosch, 22, who grew up in Miami and helps his mother financially.
The letter, which Pay Our Interns co-founder Carlos Mark Vera shared with NBC News, asked the Labor Department not only to pay its interns but also, among other things, to eliminate an exemption to the Fair Labor Standards Act that classifies unpaid workers as “volunteers” not eligible for protection afforded to paid workers. The act sets rules about minimum wage and overtime, among other considerations.
Read More: hyperlink the story: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/push-paid-internships-nonprofits-federal-government-boost-latino-oppor-rcna1530